Fuel economy is a priority for customers of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV's). This may especially be true when the vehicle is operating in an “Eco-Mode”, which may be considered an “economy mode” or “ecology mode” since a goal of this mode of operation is to reduce fuel consumption. In some vehicles, the Eco-Mode may be manually selected by the vehicle operator. Implementing an engine speed control strategy that delivers engine power at all accelerator pedal positions may allow the engine to operate at very inefficient points—e.g., at or near the maximum allowable speed. If, however, the accelerator pedal position is at or near the wide open pedal (WOP) position, it may be desirable to deliver maximum power regardless of efficiency; this may require the engine speed control strategy to allow the engine to operate at or near the maximum allowable speed. At positions other than WOP, however, it would be desirable to have a system and method for controlling the vehicle powertrain more efficiently.